Book 4: Chapter 43 |
To be honest, at this very moment, Leon found it hard to believe.
The fact that Constantine even had a daughter was already shocking enough to him;
and that this daughter had been injured by Adam more than thirty years ago—so badly that Constantine had no choice but to seal her inside a crystal to keep her alive—
and that Constantine’s original decision to cooperate with the Empire had been because he learned Adam was among the Dragon Kings working with them, and he wanted to use the Empire’s network to track Adam down and avenge his daughter…
Yet all this time—whether back when they were enemies, or later when they became “allies”—Constantine had never mentioned any of it.
Which was why Leon had always assumed Constantine truly was, just as he claimed, nothing more than a brawl-crazed maniac who lived for the thrill of fighting.
But in reality… Constantine’s reason for fighting was a stark contrast to his “volatile brute” temperament.
Who could have imagined that the Crimson Flame Dragon King—who had shaken the world and crushed countless foes—was also a father carrying guilt and hatred in his heart?
“She was so small back then, in Adam’s hands. That bastard only needed to squeeze a little, and he could’ve crushed her.”
“If my decision back then had wavered even a bit—if there’d been the slightest hesitation, the smallest miscalculation… I might not have been able to save Hefei at all.”
“And yet in the end, Adam still seized an opening and gravely wounded her. Afterward, I had no choice but to seal Hefei inside the crystal, to temporarily preserve her vital signs.”
“But a crystal like this has a time limit. About thirty-five years, give or take.”
Thirty-five years…
Leon recalled that, in the future timeline, Rosvitha had been sealed in a crystal for twenty years—so back then, the three sisters hadn’t been as panicked, and could focus on researching reversal magic.
“Thirty-five years is nothing but the blink of an eye for any dragon.”
Constantine raised his hand and rested his palm gently against the crystal, as if trying to feel his daughter’s faint pulse and heartbeat through the thick crystal wall.
“But I still wished those thirty-plus years could pass slower… slower still… until I found a way to save Hefei.”
If Old Constantine had only become enemies with Adam over something else, Leon’s sense of immersion and empathy might not have been so strong;
but if it was because of his daughter…
Then Leon immediately sobered up.
His expression grew grave. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Does primordial power help at all?”
It was a mysterious force left behind by the dragon race’s ancient forebears—surely it could save a little girl, right?
But Constantine shook his head.
“The moment I returned from the Far North, I tried using primordial power to wake Hefei. It had no effect at all.”
“The best apothecary in the Crimson Flame Clan said there is only one thing in this world that can save Hefei—an herb called Youlian Grass.”
“But that herb has almost gone extinct on the Samer Continent. Over the last thirty years, I’ve searched nearly every corner and haven’t found a single sprig.”
Youlian Grass?…
Somehow, the name sounded… familiar to Leon.
No.
Not “familiar,” exactly.
Not to the point of being truly familiar.
Because in his hazy impression, Leon had only heard the name Youlian Grass once.
So… when had he heard it?
Where, and from whose mouth?…
Leon was certain this wasn’t a false memory.
He had definitely heard of an herb called Youlian Grass somewhere.
“There are less than two years left before the crystal loses its effect.”
“I will find a way to save Hefei within those remaining two years.”
“Of course, if I run into that bastard Adam, I’ll cut his head off and mince it into meat paste.”
Hearing Old Constantine’s fierce certainty, Leon had no doubt he meant every word.
Alright—by some strange twist of fate, his goal and Constantine’s had aligned once again.
Before, they both wanted to smash the Empire.
Now, they both wanted to find Adam.
And both times, Leon had been chasing the truth behind something, while Constantine had been pursuing revenge.
These two were practically the human-and-dragon version of No-Brain and No-Joy.
Constantine adjusted his emotions and steadied himself, returning to the severe, cold Crimson Flame Dragon King he’d been just moments ago.
“Let’s go out.”
“Mm.”
They left the underground chamber and returned to the sanctuary hall.
“So if you discover Adam’s whereabouts,” Constantine said, “you must inform me.”
“No problem. But before you mince him into meat paste, you’ll have to let me question him first. I need answers.”
Old Constantine nodded.
Leon also let out a quiet breath.
This trip hadn’t revealed Adam’s location—but it had uncovered Constantine’s hidden past.
That alone was an unexpected gain.
And it further confirmed Leon’s evaluation of Constantine:
This guy only looked unhinged on the surface—deep down, he had principles. And he was trustworthy.
After all, how bad could a doting father be?
He only wanted to tear apart the bastard who injured his daughter. What was wrong with that?
As Leon’s thoughts drifted, Constantine had already returned to his throne.
When Leon came back to himself, he heard Old Constantine say,
“Oh, right. There’s one more thing.”
“What?”
“When are you going to pay me the whole room of primordial-power manuals you owe me?”
……
An awkward silence instantly spread.
In the quiet sanctuary hall, it felt as if a crow went caw-caw right over Leon’s head.
Damn it—left in such a hurry. I was so focused on Adam that I completely forgot about the manuals!
Leon scratched his temple, stammering,
“Uh, well… you know… organizing that many manuals takes time for review and verification.”
Constantine raised a brow.
“Review and verification? Those manuals were left by the ancients. What’s there to verify?”
“No, no—ancient people can make typos too, you know.”
“These past few days, my wife and I have been working overtime to catch mistakes. Once we finish correcting the typos, we’ll bring the manuals over to you.”
Honestly, even Leon didn’t believe the excuse coming out of his own mouth.
So inside, he silently prayed Old Constantine would buy it.
But this time, Constantine wasn’t so easy to fool.
He leaned sideways against the throne’s armrest, propping his cheek with one hand, his red dragon eyes scrutinizing Leon.
After a moment of silence, Old Constantine said flatly,
“In truth, you don’t have a whole room of manuals at all. Do you?”
“How could—”
“You don’t.” Constantine’s tone was utterly certain.
Seeing his “pie in the sky” exposed, Leon could only admit it.
“Fine. I really don’t.”
“Hmph.”
Constantine snorted. He seemed to have expected Leon would flake out on him, and didn’t complain much.
At most, he looked mildly displeased.
But Leon also felt that, since he’d asked Constantine to help with such a major matter—sure, Constantine himself had wanted revenge on the Empire too, but he had still contributed a great deal—
and Leon had repaid him with nothing but big talk and an empty promise…
That was, frankly, not a great look.
Playful was playful, but Leon couldn’t let Constantine think he was truly just slick-tongued and untrustworthy.
Otherwise, future cooperation might not go as smoothly as last time.
“A whole room of primordial manuals is indeed exaggerated,” Leon said. “But I can get you one or two.”
“This time you’re not selling me another fantasy?”
“……I’ll do my best. If I can’t get them, I’ll thank you some other way for helping me last time.”
Hope Claudia still has other stock lying around, Leon thought.
“Fine,” Constantine said. “Then I’ll wait for your good news, Casmord.”
Leon blinked and shifted the topic.
“Speaking of good news—on my way here, I saw the various dragon clans monitoring you have withdrawn quite a few people. Did you know?”
Constantine nodded.
“Ever since the human–dragon war was officially declared over, the stationed forces outside have been gradually pulling back.”
“By now, it should be down to just one or two squads.”
“Looks like Arlais is convinced he can’t get primordial power from you,” Leon said, “and doesn’t want to waste manpower and resources anymore, so he withdrew.”
“And the other Dragon Kings who wanted a share saw Arlais pull out, and figured there was no point in staying either.”
“The relationships among dragons are complicated—yet also simple,” Constantine said slowly.
“In the end, it’s all for their own interests.”
“Arlais has coveted my primordial power from the beginning. Luckily, you saw he wasn’t good news, and proposed at the Dragon King summit that only my Crimson Flame territory should be monitored.”
“Now the human–dragon war is over, but internal dragon conflict hasn’t completely stopped.”
“I suspect that old bastard Arlais intends to devote more energy to plotting against other clans.”
“So he has no time to bother with me.”
“Anyway, there’s no way I’m handing over primordial power.”
Leon smiled and asked, “Do you really have the confidence to control such vast primordial power?”
“When you and I fight in the future,” Constantine said, “you’ll find out.”
After a pause, he asked again, “By the way—about our duel. When, exactly, do you have time?”
“Not anytime soon.” Leon kept his hands in his pockets. “And there’s someone ahead of you who wants to spar with me first.”
“You’re pretty busy, human brat.”
Old Constantine sounded exasperated. “Who is it?”
“Thunder Dragon King—Odin.”
Leon shrugged.
“No idea why the old man insists on sparring with me. I didn’t want to agree.”
“But he supported me a lot at the Dragon King summit and helped me plenty, so I had no choice but to accept.”
Constantine fell into thought for a moment.
“That old man has always been eccentric. It’s normal for him to do odd things.”
“Yeah.”
Leon remained casual.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
“Don’t bother saying ‘take my leave.’” Constantine spoke with clear sarcasm.
“You practically treat my Crimson Flame sanctuary like your own home.”
“Hey, hey—what are you saying? I’m very polite.” Leon grinned. “How about next time I knock?”
Knocking—meaning: using a Crimson Flame guard to smash the door open.
Constantine closed his eyes, not wanting to deal with this guy.
Leon didn’t push his luck either. He turned and left the sanctuary.
He passed through the forest and returned to the Silver Dragon Clan’s stationed sector.
“Shirley.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Arrange for someone to escort me to the Sea Dragon Clan.”
“And send word to Her Majesty the Queen—tell her I might be back a day late.”
…